When programming a Microchip PIC you will need to setup the configuration settings. These are the settings that control which oscillator to use, internal or external, high speed (>4Mhz) or low speed (<4 mhz). The MCLR reset pin can be an external reset pin or a standard input pin. The watchdog timer can be enabled or disabled. Low voltage programming (which a lot people get caught by) can be turned on or off.
All these and more are in the configuration settings.
All these and more are in the configuration settings.
Most devices have default settings and then the compiler you are using will probably have some default settings as well. The Great Cow Basic compiler I like to play with, has default settings based on the speed you are running and what device you are programming. In the end the assembly file produced will have a line that starts with __CONFIG ... and then all the settings. Sometimes this will occur on multiple lines. But in the end all that data ends up in the .hex file you program the Microchip PIC device with.
When you load the .hex file into the PICkit 2 programmer software, it will automatically load the configuration settings from the .hex file. You can then manually change them if you want. Some programmers default to manual setting but most have the option to read them from the .hex file.
Configuration settings can be some of the most confusing parts of programming Microchip PICs for a beginner and that's why I like the way the Great Cow Basic compiler handles all that for you. To really understand all the configuration settings for a device you have to read the data sheet and I won't go into that this time, I'll save that for another blog post. The more complicated the device is the more configuration settings it will have. So that's why its typically not the best move for a beginner to start out with the latest and greatest Microchip PIC device. Its why I recommend the PIC16F690 or the PIC12F683 which I used in a couple of my books. The PIC16F886 is also fairly simple when is comes to the Configuration setup.
So don't be intimidated by the Config settings, just learn the basics before you program. I plan to add a section to my website on this topic in the future. Until then if you have a question about programming or config settings shoot me the question through my contact form and I'll try to help you out.
Configuration settings can be some of the most confusing parts of programming Microchip PICs for a beginner and that's why I like the way the Great Cow Basic compiler handles all that for you. To really understand all the configuration settings for a device you have to read the data sheet and I won't go into that this time, I'll save that for another blog post. The more complicated the device is the more configuration settings it will have. So that's why its typically not the best move for a beginner to start out with the latest and greatest Microchip PIC device. Its why I recommend the PIC16F690 or the PIC12F683 which I used in a couple of my books. The PIC16F886 is also fairly simple when is comes to the Configuration setup.
So don't be intimidated by the Config settings, just learn the basics before you program. I plan to add a section to my website on this topic in the future. Until then if you have a question about programming or config settings shoot me the question through my contact form and I'll try to help you out.
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